


Luthor Manor

by Captain_Grimlock



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Blood, Blood Drinking, Blood Kink, Blood and Violence, Bodice-Ripper, F/F, Fantasizing, Vampires, Victorian Attitudes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-12 07:50:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12954666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_Grimlock/pseuds/Captain_Grimlock
Summary: Lena finds Jess the secretary reading a bodice ripper about vampires, and starts to fantasise...





	1. Chapter 1

"Jess?"

Lena Luthor smiled slightly, as her secretary jumped at the sound of her voice and dropped the book that she had been reading quite eagerly. "Sorry, Miss Luthor!" She spat out, jumping out of her seat. "Can I help you? I was just finishing my break-"

Lena held up a placating hand, and bent down to retrieve the book that Jess had half-thrown across the outer office. "Relax, Jess." She said, handing back the book. "I was only going to ask what you were reading. You seemed particularly engrossed."

"Oh-oh!" Jess smiled nervously, taking the book and looking embarrassed as she clutched it to her chest. "It's just a romance novel."

"And it's name?" Lena probed, perching on the edge of her secretary's desk. If Jess could look any more embarrassed, she was doing so right now. "Come on, Jess - I don't bite."

Very often, she mentally added, and never before dinner.

"It's called 'Vampire Manor'. It's the latest thriller that's at the top of the best seller list in National City." The secretary admitted, holding the book out. Lena took it and skimmed the back of the book...

'A bodice ripper for the 21st century!' One reviewer had called it.

Hm, Lena thought, handing it back. Hardly Sun Tzu's Art of War or Machiavelli's The Prince, both of which she could quote from memory. "Any good?" She asked, folding her arms.

Jess looked down at her feet. "It's OK. The main character is seduced by a handsome vampire." She muttered in response as she slid it back into her purse and got back to work. "You have a two-pm appointment with Miss Danvers."

Lena nodded. "Indeed I do." She agreed, gesturing at the now hidden book. "I'm guessing that it's fairly raunchy?"

At that, Jess' face went red. "A little." She admitted.

Standing up, Lena headed back to her office. "I won't embarrass you any further, Jess." She said, playfully. "I'll leave you to your vampires..."

* * *

"SUPERGIRL SAVES THE DAY!"

Lena scrolled through the latest news on the Daily Planet website whilst she waited for Kara to arrive for her appointment. 

She liked Kara. In fact, she adored her. Unlike so many other journalists and - well - just about everyone she ever met, Kara didn't seem to have any preconceptions about how she was going to act, simply because her surname began with an L and ended with 'Uthor'.

It also helped that Kara was as cute as hell.

Lena stared out of the window at National City. It was raining heavily, had been most of the day and the forecast for the rest of the week was just as bleak. Kara's little visit - whether business or pleasure - was sure to inject at least some sunshine into her daily routine. 

Maybe she should pick up a copy of 'Vampire Manor' herself? She thought; I could use a little excitement right about now.

There was a knock at the office door. Lena stood up and smoothed down her blouse-

\+ + +

National City, 1894

"Miss Kara Danvers..."

Miss Lena Luthor tucked her dance card into the top of her glove and peered across the ballroom at the newest arrival. Danvers was tall and statuesque, almost the physical embodiment of Aphrodite or Artemis of classic mythology, dressed in a virginal white and powder blue gown and gloves. Her blonde hair was stacked up in a tall bun on top of her beautiful countenance. She fidgeted in a melancholy manner with the spectacles that she continually had to push further up the bridge of her nose. 

Her beauty was breathtaking.

Fiddling with her fan, Miss Luthor turned to attract her friend's attention. "Veronica", She whispered almost conspiratorially, "Who is our new arrival?"

Miss Veronica Sinclair turned slightly at the mention of her name, and gestured across the room at Miss Danvers. "Kara Danvers? I believe she is the daughter of Professor Jeremiah Danvers." She replied, sipping her champagne. "He recently took a teaching position at the National City University. Physics, I believe."

"She is most beautiful." Lena commented, feeling her face redden at the remark. It was not considered good etiquette to make such a comment in polite company. But the group of people that her father had invited to her birthday ball were anything but polite company - ship's masters, lawyers, judges. Granted their sons and daughters made for mostly pleasant company and the party was going splendidly, with plenty of music and dancing and champagne, but Lena always managed to feel... Alone, in such gatherings.

"She is... acceptable, I suppose." Veronica commented. "It is rumoured that, due to a rare skin condition, she is only seen out at night. She cannot handle the sunlight." Sinclair took a sip of champagne. "Poor dear." She commented, sarcastically.

"Veronica!" Lena hissed. "Manners!" Veronica shrugged and went back to talking to her friends, giggling and over indulging as always. 

Realising that she must have been staring, Lena noticed that Miss Danvers seemed to have picked up on the attention that she was drawing from her and smiled pleasantly across the room in return. Lena blushed and put a gloved hand to her mouth in embarrassment. She tried to look away, but found herself mesmerised by the new arrival and unable to do so.

Kara started to wave at her.

Offering a small wave in response, Lena looked in the large mirror that occupied a nearby wall. She was wearing a very daring crimson and black dress which her mother had bought her for her birthday. A black velvet choker around her delicate neck and elbow length black opera gloves completed the look. She wore her black hair down and her emerald eyes glowed a powerful green in the candlelight. Turning to look for Miss Danvers, she found that the new arrival was still smiling and staring at her.

Taking a deep breath, and watching her ample bosom rise and fall for a moment, she gathered up her skirts and glided across the ballroom. Many of the attendees at the party were dancing to a new piece of music from Europe, and she had several potential suitors on her dance card that her mother insisted that she simply must dance with before the evening was over. "Perhaps you will find a future husband among them!" Her mother had said, desperate to marry off her only child into a rich family.

But that would have to wait, Lena thought, as she drew closer to the young goddess...

"Miss Luthor?" 

"Yes." Lena extended a gloved hand, which the blonde beauty shook gently and seemed to curtsey slightly at the same time. "And you are Miss Danvers?"

"I am." She replied, once again pushing her glasses further onto her nose. "How do you do? Thank you so much for inviting me to your ball - it was most generous of you."

Lena didn't remember extending the invitation, but smiled in response. "You are most welcome at Luthor Manor, Miss Danvers. I trust that you will enjoy yourself?"

Kara nodded, smiling. "I certainly intend on trying." She answered. "It is not very often that I manage to get out of the house. I have an... unfortunate ailment which means that I simply burn when exposed to sunlight." She looked down, the smile gone. "As a result, I do not make friends very easily."

Lena felt the young lady's upset, and rested a gloved hand on her shoulder. "Come now, Miss Danvers. You are polite and charming - I'm sure you will have no problem making friends in National City." She assured her. "You have already made one in me."

Kara looked at the hand on her shoulder and the smile returned. "You are most generous, Miss Luthor." She said, locking eyes with her once more. The gaze was truly hypnotic - it was most difficult to look away. Combined with the musical voice, Lena found it difficult to believe that anyone would not want to be friends with the lovely young lady.

"To begin with, we can dispense with formalities. My name is Lena." She assured her.

Kara blushed. "Thank you, Lena. My name is Kara." She replied, folding her hands before her. "And if I may say so, you look exquisite tonight."

Lena blushed. Not one of the many suitors at the gathering had complimented her on her new dress, but Kara had. She then realised that she still had her hand on the young lady's shoulder...

And slowly withdrew it...

"Thank you." Lena said in response, playing with her fan. The temperature of the room seemed to be increasing... "Shall we mingle?" She asked. "I can introduce you to some of National City's finest citizens and their eligible rich heirs."

"I would most enjoy that, Lena." Kara said with a smile. Lena took her hand and led her into the crowd...

All eyes were on her...

But Lena could think of no one, except for the intoxicating beauty of Kara Danvers...

\+ + +

The clock struck one.

Lena lay back on her bed and sighed...

She had spent the evening in the company of Kara, introducing her to many of the friends that she had made over the years and one or two of her potential future husbands, although - to her mother's obvious disappointment - she had not managed to dance with any of them. Mother hadn't said anything, so as not to spoil her birthday celebrations, but she was sure that something would be mentioned at the breakfast table in the morning. 

Everything about Kara had been overpowering - her appearance, her voice (she could even sing in a soprano), her eyes... She filled every waking thought that Lena had and, perhaps, would appear in a dream or two that night. Lena had little time for men, finding them to be boring and tiresome. But something about Kara was enticing...

"Are you thinking about Kara Danvers again?"

Veronica sat on the edge of the bed, brushing her long brunette hair with a silver brush. Sinclair was a beauty herself, but was already betrothed to a certain Mr Schott and therefore out of reach to her. Lena rolled over and stared at the ceiling. "I admit, it is difficult to get her out of my thoughts." She replied, folding her hands on her chest.

"I suppose she is charming enough." Sinclair commented, counting a few strokes of the brush before speaking again. "However, your mother expects you to choose a male suitor. One of high reputation and great means. Miss Danvers, regrettably, does not fall into that category."

Veronica was the only person that knew how Lena really felt about men and had been sworn to secrecy many years ago. She realised that her parents wanted her to marry into the right family, but Lena knew - with all of her heart - that she would not be truly invested in any marriage to one of the city's great sons. "There will be plenty more balls and parties and opera performances where Mother can push wealthy men in my path and hope that one, well, sticks." She commented. 

They were silent for a moment, the only sound being the tick-tock of the clock and the crackle of the fire in the place.

In the distance, a wolf howled mournfully.

At that, Lena sat up. "Did you hear that?" She asked her friend, rushing to the window and looking out at the forest beyond. As a child, she had been terrified by the stories Veronica had told her of the wolves and creatures that inhabited the land around Luthor Manor...

Veronica didn't pause in her brushing. "It was merely a wolf or a coyote. Nothing to be afraid of." Her friend responded. 

The howl came again... 

Lena listened to the sound, appreciating how lonely the creature must be, then moved back to sit beside her friend on the bed...

\+ + +

The hunger was upon her.

Her own blood pounded in her ears...

From her vantage point on a sturdy bough of an oak tree, Kara Danvers watched as Lena Luthor peered between the curtains at the sound of the lone wolf crying at the moon. Kara knew that the animal had detected her and was agitated by her presence.

She didn't care.

She only wanted Lena.

She could smell her blood on the wind, stronger than the perfume that the beautiful young woman had been wearing at her vulgar, ostentatious party. Her pheromones had been enticing to a point where Kara had restrained herself from taking her right then and there as her own, biting into her neck and draining her of her life fluid in front of the pillars of National City's society, spreading her crimson blood across the tasteless decor of the room...

She could feel Lena's heart pounding in fear of the wolf and it's cry.

Kara smiled.

Soon, she thought.

Soon.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2 days later...

Lena found herself standing at the door of Luthor Manor, waving a farewell to her parents as their carriage pulled away down the snow covered driveway. They had been invited to Coast City to spend time with friends and family, and had eagerly accepted. The Luthor Corporation was one of the most successful companies in the United States and had many capable staff and managers who would keep the wheels turning until Mother and Father returned.

Lena herself had been schooled in running the business by Father - and had proven rather adept at business and finance - but Mother had insisted that she spend her time wooing young men and marrying into the right family. Her latest target was a Mr Wayne from Gotham.

Wayne was a tiresome bore.

Sighing to herself, Lena turned past the butler Olson and re-entered the manor. With Veronica having returned to the city and her teaching position, Lena was alone in the large house with no one but the servants to talk to. 

"What time will you be dining tonight, Miss Luthor?" Olson asked as he closed the large oak front door and followed her inside. Lena was not fond of him - granted, he had been loyal to her family for many years and had made his way through the ranks from footman to butler, but she had the suspicious feeling that he held some sort of romantic feeling for her.

Turning to look at him, she shivered slightly under his gaze. "The usual time, Olson. Seven."

"Will you be dining alone, ma'am?" He probed.

I wonder if Father would notice if I fired him, she pondered.

Sighing to herself, she was about to answer in the affirmative when a notion occurred to her. "No. Have a messenger sent to Miss Kara Danver's residence. With my compliments, invite her to dine with me for the evening, as Miss Sinclair is unavailable." She ordered.

"As you wish, Miss Luthor." Olson gave her a distasteful look, bowed somewhat disrespectfully and disappeared towards the servant's stairwell.

She would really need to speak to Father about discharging him...

\+ + +

"Your new familiar demands your presence, sister."

Kara looked up from the punctured jugular of the whore she had snatched from the streets the night before, at the voice of her sister Alexandra. She wiped the crimson liquid from her lips and took a moment to study her... As beautiful as she, with her red hair cut into a more modern style than her own, her eyes glowed cardinal from the smell of iron in the air. Her high necked black gown concealed the mark where her sire had given her eternal life, as he had with her sister...

Before they had both turned on him...

She held out a note in a lace gloved hand. "Dinner at seven." Alexandra spat, sinking to her knees beside the prostrate form of their captive. "She would be 'most pleased' if you would join her for the evening." 

Kara snatched the note from her sister, smearing the blood that was on her hand across the pure white paper. Alexandra hissed at her briefly, her eyes narrowing. "You should not form alliances with mortals that you cannot maintain." She growled.

"And what of your alliance with Miss Sawyer?" Kara demanded, referring to her sister's own familiar. "You continue to play with her, yet you do not take the necessary steps to make her as we are."

"The time will come." Alexandra assured her.

"I suspect so." Kara replied, rising to her feet. "I must prepare for the evening."

"Yes." Alexandra commented, licking blood from the whore's bare breast. "Go play submissive with your new friend." 

"I submit to no one!" Kara growled, stalking towards her sister. At the sudden approach, Alexandra leapt to her feet, her claws fully extended. It would not be the first time that they had fought.

It would not be the last.

But Kara did not have the time for this. She paused in mid step, and warned simply. "Watch your tongue, sister, or I will remove it." She gestured at the swooning body on the carpet. "When you have finished, dispose of her in the normal manner. And remember to remove the head."

Alexandra's claws retracted and she nodded, pulling up her skirts and drawing a long military style scalpel from the sheath on her calf, watching the eyes of the doomed whore widen. "It will be my pleasure..."

\+ + +

"You spoil me with such a spread."

Lena smiled. She was glad that Miss Danvers had chosen to join her for the night.

They sat together at opposite ends of the dining table in the main dining room, the winter moonlight streaming in through the large windows. The atmosphere was light; Kara had been telling her stories from her work as the first female journalist to join the Daily Planet's newly opened office in National City. She had been working what she referred to as the 'night desk', as this gave her the opportunity to stay out of the sunlight and therefore maintain her good health.

"I am very glad that you could join me." Lena said, taking a sip of her red wine. "I do hope that I have not interfered with your duties at the Daily Planet."

"Not at all." Kara said, fiddling with her spectacles again. "It is my evening off."

A brief silence.

"Would it be too forward of me to move a little closer to you?" Kara asked, rising slightly in her seat. "I find it impossible to have a decent conversation with anyone in such a formal setting. I fear I will strain my voice if I have to shout much longer."

At that, Lena started to panic slightly. She was alone with a vision of loveliness in a very formal setting; she was unsure how she would react if Kara came closer. Still, she suspected that Veronica would tell her to 'indulge'. Her parents were away and the servants had been dismissed... "Pl-please." She stammered, reaching for the bell to summon one of the dismissed servants. "I'll have Jessica set you a new place - "

"No matter." Kara smiled and collected her glass of wine. Pushing her chair aside, there was the rustle of her blue and red taffeta gown as she glided down the hall and took a seat immediately to Lena's right. "There." She declared. "Better?"

Lena caught Kara's scent; she smelled of wild violets in full bloom. The aroma was intoxicating.

As she sat down, Kara's glasses started to slide again. Lena smiled, "Your spectacles appear to be very poorly made."

Kara smiled. "I recently broke them and it was necessary for me to have them mended, until such a time as I can acquire a new pair." She admitted, pushing them on again. "Would that I were not nearly blind as a bat without them." She sipped her wine. "Have I thanked you for inviting me to your home once more?"

"Several times already this evening." Lena replied. Kara was very humble and very polite, yet Lena suspected that beneath the surface, there could very well be a caged tiger waiting to escape and prowl the corridors of the manor. "So, did you move here with your father?"

At that, Kara seemed to sigh a little. She took a long swig from her glass, before setting it down and speaking. "My father and I do not speak. It is merely coincidence that he has recently accepted a position at National City University." 

Lena frowned, realising that the very mention of her father seemed to have upset her new friend. She reached across the dining table and took Kara's gloved hand in her own. "I am sorry to hear that. If I may ask, why do you not speak?"

"He believes that I should be looking for a husband and not pursuing my dreams of emancipation for women by joining the Planet." She admitted, looking down at Lena's hand and squeezing it. "My, Lena - you are most forward."

"You required comfort." Lena said, embarrassed and trying to remove her hand. But Kara's grip strengthened immensely and she would not let go.

"I very much enjoy the forward nature of some beautiful women." She assured her, taking her glass of wine again and drinking. "It is not very often that I come across a kindred spirit."

Kara knew.

Lena felt her mouth fall open in slight surprise, but she maintained her composure as she tried and failed to tear her gaze away from the beautiful young woman before her... Her eyes, blue behind her spectacles, drilled into her own mercilessly. "I'm-I'm not sure what you mean by that, Kara." She spluttered, nervously.

"I noticed it the first night that we met." Kara replied, finally removing her ill fitting glasses and shaking her hair loose of the style she had been wearing it in. If it was possible, she looked even lovelier. "You introduced me to many young men, all of whom were very eligible and some, even, handsome. But you seemed to look straight through most of them, paying no heed to the kind words that they said, or their rather pathetic attempts to flirt with you... And I, in some cases..."

Lena tried and failed to extract her hand from her friend's grip again, nervous. She had only been vaguely intimate with one other person over the years and they had parted on less than amicable terms. "No one knows of my secret." She admitted, feeling a slight tear at the corner of her eye. "My parents would disown me if I were to admit freely to my feelings for anyone but a male suitor."

"Your parents, if I may say, are not very forward thinking." Kara pointed out. Lena agreed, but found that she could not say the words herself. Her friend set aside her glass and, noting the tears forming in Lena's eyes, brushed her other gloved hand against her cheek to wipe them away. "You're crying, my dear." She said, seeming to lick the tears from the back of her hand.

That was somewhat strange, Lena thought. And very arousing.

"You should accompany me one night. I know of a place where we can be together and show our true side." Kara's finger was on her lips now, running around them in a gentle circle. 

Lena felt her heart stop in her chest. She couldn't breathe. Kara was clearly a skilled seductress and knew how to touch her...

She swooned.

"In fact, I think," Kara said, her face approaching Lena's across the table; her lips closing... "That you should give me a grand tour of the manor... Starting with the bed-"

"Ahem. Miss Luthor?"

Lena regained her senses quickly at the new male voice. Kara withdrew quickly and aimed a poisoness glare at the arrival. Finally, Lena thought, the tiger was showing her stripes.

Olson.

Taking a moment to compose herself, she aimed a savage glare at him. "I dismissed you for the evening, Olson, and requested that I not be interrupted except at my express request. What do you want?"

"Begging your pardon, Miss Luthor." Olson said, in an arrogant tone not befitting of a servant. "You asked to be informed when dessert would be served."

"It was about to be." Kara hissed venomously at him. The butler looked taken aback at the poison aimed at him from the 'upstart' new arrival. Kara seemed to take a deep breath, then rose. "I should be going." At that, she gathered up her fan and purse and rushed out of the dining hall.

"Olson." Lena spat. "You and I will be having words in the morning..."

\+ + +

Kara was surprised to find her sister in the back of the carriage that met her, to return her to her modest townhouse in National City.

The wolves howled in the distance. More tonight than earlier in the week. Predators tended to be threatened by their presence, wherever they went: Metropolis, Central City, the den of iniquity that was Starling City. 

Alexandra was dressed for the hunt, her scimitar sitting sheathed in her lap, her booted legs crossed. "I can smell her on you." She said, bluntly. "You should take your fill of her blood and silence her."

"As you well know," Kara growled. "I like to play with my meals first."

"Indeed you do." Alexandra agreed, a beautiful smile playing across her lips. She tapped on the roof and the carriage started away down the drive.

"On my next trip, however, there will be a different casualty." Kara noted, angrily, smelling Lena's tears on her glove.

Her sister leaned forward eagerly. "Who?"

"The butler..."

Alexandra smiled, bearing her elongated canine teeth. "Why wait until next time?" She asked.

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Death comes at night.

There was a scream.

"HHHHEEEELLPPP!"

Lena sat upright in bed, glancing around her. The voice sounded as though it belonged to her maid, Jessica. 

"MURDER!!!"

Murder?

Lena slipped quickly out of bed, hearing a scuffle of some sort going on downstairs. She reached under her pillow for the Colt that her father insisted she keep for protection and - pausing only to check that it was loaded - rushed out of her room and down the stairs...

The scene that confronted her was horrifying.

Blood bathed the walls, the tiled floor of the hall, the bannister. Lying at the foot of the stairs was a body that Lena recognised as once belonging to Olson the butler... But...

He was missing his head...

Putting a hand to her mouth at the macabre sight, Lena wretched slightly.

There was another scream...

"INTRUDE-UGH!"

Cocking the hammer on her revolver, Lena rushed down the remainder of the stairs and into the dining room. A chill winter gale blew in through the smashed windows where she had been entertaining Kara earlier.

Jessica lay on the floor, what looked like a sword slash across her stomach. Blood was starting to stain her nightdress and she lay on the floor, crying in agony.

She wasn't alone.

Standing on the table, sword in one hand, Olson's head in the other was a masked, black clad woman. Her red hair shone in the moonlight, blood dripping from her blade and her hands. She snarled like a lion at Lena when she entered... Revealing long, pronounced canine fangs almost too large for so beautiful a mouth.

A vampire?!?

Lena raised her gun and fired, the shot hitting the woman in the shoulder. The vampire roared loudly at her and aimed her sword in her direction. "Let this be a lesson to you, Luthor!!!" She growled, whirling her sword expertly and darting out of the smashed window with the speed of a cheetah.

Dropping the gun to the floor, Lena fell to her knees beside Jessica and cradled her head in her lap. She felt tears stream freely as she called out for help, hoping that someone...

Anyone...

Would hear her...

\+ + +

"The mask was a nice touch."

Alexandra came to a halt in the twilight next to her sister, presenting Kara with the severed head of the butler. "Now, nothing will stand in your way of seducing the Luthor woman." She declared, licking the blood from her hands. "And the mask was a necessity, not a 'nice touch', sister. You will inevitably wish to introduce me to your new friend and it would be far easier if you didn't have to explain why I had murdered her butler..."

"Agreed." Kara said, listening to the commotion that Alexandra had caused on the wind. As an member of the undead, her blood cold, she did not feel the chill... But she thrived on the fear that was emanating from the manor. 

Lena's fear... She could almost taste it...

A strange feeling came over her. She could hear her calling frantically for help, feel her terror and panic, but it brought her no pleasure. She frowned to herself and looked at the head of the butler which she held in her hand. Kara was unused to doubting both her blood lust and her ability to thrive on the weakness of others... 

"What is it, sister?" Alexandra asked, sheathing her sword. 

"I am unsure." She gestured at the horizon, where the first glimpse of sunlight was starting to appear. "I grow tired and the day dawns. We must return to safety."

"Indeed." Alexandra said, taking off at a run. Kara cast another glimpse at the manor, then followed her into the forest... Wondering what ailed her...

\+ + +

Lena had expected the local police to arrive, as well as the coroner to take possession of the bodies of Olson and Jessica. But she had not been expecting to see the tall, powerful form of Colonel Henry Henshaw. He was closely followed by the compact form of his assistant Miss Lucille Lane, a petite, beautiful brunette dressed - seemingly - for a fight. Over her shoulder was slung a sword and she wore a six-gun on each hip. She tipped her hat as she entered. "Ma'am."

Oh delightful, Lena thought. A cowgirl.

Colonel Henshaw was speaking silently to the coroner and his assistants, gesturing at the bodies which they had loaded into the horse-drawn ambulance that sat outside the manor. After a number of confused glances between the men and the doctor, Henshaw entered the house and nodded to Miss Lane, who scurried into the dining hall in a more graceful manner than her attire -all leather and buckles - would seem to indicate.

"Good day, Miss Luthor." Henshaw said in a quite, yet authoritative voice. "It pains me to be here to carry out my duty."

"What duty do you speak of, Colonel Henshaw?" Lena asked, pulling her dressing gown closer around her shoulders in the cold of the manor. 

Henshaw put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "The adrenalin in your blood is beginning to subside." He informed her, guiding her in the direction of her father's study. "You require warmth and, possibly, a brandy."

The surviving servants - at least, the ones who had not resigned and already left the manor - had started a large fire in the study. The walls were lined with Father's books and the family portrait hung above the fireplace. Henshaw - a frequent guest of her parents - instinctively knew where the brandy was and poured three measures; one for himself, one for Miss Lane and one for her. He handed the glass to her. She took it gratefully, shivering as the events of the early hours caught up with her. 

Olson was dead.

Jessica, too.

She had shot the woman who appeared to be a vampire, who had then fled at some speed into the forest that bordered their land...

Lena swallowed the brandy in one go.

Henshaw nodded his approval and steered her into a chair beside the fireplace, before taking a measure of his brandy. A moment later, Miss Lane entered the room, stetson in hand. She closed the door behind her and took the glass that her superior offered her. "Report?" He demanded of her.

Miss Lane looked at Lena first, nodding slowly. She sipped her drink in a quite ladylike manner for one who seemed otherwise, at least in terms of appearance, then began to speak. "Looks like the creature entered the house via the dining room windows. Whether it was allowed in by the butler or not is unclear."

"As a vampire, it would have been unable to gain access without being invited into the house." Henshaw noted. Lane was nodding in agreement. "Although I believe it is highly unlikely that the butler would have simply allowed it in without reason."

"It probably concealed it's true intent in order to gain access, Sir." Lane suggested. Henshaw was now nodding. "They are deceitful creatures." She finished her brandy and the colonel refilled her glass quickly. 

Lena felt her head begin to swim. This couldn't be happening.

"It appears that shortly after gaining entry to the manor, the vampire beheaded Olson and fed on his remains before the maid found it and raised the alarm, as per Miss Luthor's statement to the authorities." Lane said, emptying her fresh glass quickly. "The target then made off at speed into the forest." She put her stetson back on and rose. "Which is where I will try to pick up the trail."

"Very good." Henshaw said, nodding. "Thank you. Proceed."

"Ma'am." Lane nodded at Lena, then made her exit, leaving Henshaw and her alone.

There was a long silence before Henshaw spoke. "I have sent a message to Lionel and Lillian informing them of the events that have transpired in their absence. I await their response but expect not to hear from them until they reach Coast City." He explained. Lena knew that they would make immediate haste to return to her and was somewhat comforted by their love for her. He sat down in an armchair opposite to her, on the other side of the fireplace, and spoke slowly. "What can you tell me of the events?"

Lena set down her glass and drew her feet up onto the chair with her, covering her bare toes, then began, "I was awoken by the scream of my maid that there had been a murder. I secured my pistol and went to investigate; at which point, Jessica intimated that there was an intruder on the premises.

"I moved into the dining hall, past the dismembered corpse of our butler and found Jessica lying on the floor with a sword wound to her belly." She could feel herself starting to cry. "The dining room windows had been smashed by someone or something, and the intruder was standing on the table, Olson's head-" She choked on the words and began to cry. Wiping away the tears, she saw that Henshaw was looking at her sympathetically. 

"As a young lieutenant, I was commanding a three-day patrol out of Fort Defiance." Henshaw began. "Darkness came on the first night and we made camp in the desert. I organised a watch - this was, after all, Navajo territory - and turned in. 

"It came in the night.

"I was awoken to the choking sounds of my men, all of whom were in various states of having been fed on. The creature itself stood by the camp fire, feeding off the jugular of a young private under my command. It was a Navajo brave, a young man of no more than twenty. His eyes glowed red and he was covered - from head to toe - in the life fluid of my men." Henshaw moved to pour himself another brandy before continuing his tale.

Lena couldn't believe what she was hearing, yet she had seen the same with her own eyes...

"At first, I shot the man. Twice. In the head." Henshaw downed the drink. "It had no effect on him. So I drew my sword and ran him through, straight through the heart." He patted at his chest, shaking his head. "Nothing."

"How did you survive?" Lena asked.

"The man was amazingly strong and fast. He beat me almost to death before I was able to throw him aside and, with my last ounce of strength, behead him with my sword." Henshaw pulled the collar of his shirt down to reveal a scar that ran almost from ear to ear. "He attempted to feed on me, too; he was mistaken.

"I put my men out of their misery and burnt their bodies, before returning to the fort to make my report. My superiors laughed at me and threw me in the stockade... Until the story was verified by Miss Lane's father, General Lane. Ever since that day, I have chaired the organisation that has fought these creatures and attempted to protect National City from them." Henshaw explained. 

"What are they?" Lena asked, frightened.

"They come in many names and forms. The creature that attacked my patrol was believed to be a Wendigo by the Navajo people." The colonel replied. "But I believe it was a vampire, the creature from Eastern European folklore."

"I know the name." Lena pointed out.

Henshaw nodded. "They are known by many titles. Vampires. Nosferatu. Strigoi." He said. "They feed on the blood of the innocent and have the ability to turn us using their own life fluid. They are amazingly resilient, strong and agile. They can survive a full cavalry charge with nought but a scratch, but they do have their weaknesses." He paused and looked into the fire, before looking back at her. "What can you tell me about this one?"

"It was female. Fiery red hair." Lena said, slowly. "It wore a mask to conceal it's identity but carried a curved sword. I think I managed to hit it with one shot, but the creature withdrew through the smashed window at great speed." She sat forward in her seat. "It also told me that the attack was a 'lesson'."

Henshaw frowned. "A 'lesson'? For what?"

Lena shook her head. " I do not know..." She panicked. "Do you think it will return?"

"I cannot answer that truthfully, I am afraid." The colonel said. "It is unlikely that the creature will return here but, in the event that it does, I will provide several deterents. You may also have this." He reached inside his coat and withdrew a long stiletto which gleamed in the sunlight. "Vampires are susceptible to blades made of silver. Should you be confronted by one of these creatures, you must drive this into their heart or try to behead them."

"I do not believe that I would have the strength or fortitude to do so." Lena pointed out.

At that, Henshaw smiled. "You shot one. That is more than many of those who have encountered a vampire have managed to do before being killed or turned." He rose from his seat and placed his hat on. "I will organise for the windows of your dining hall to be immediately replaced and have my specialist team clean the blood. I will also charge Miss Lane with patrolling the grounds tonight as an extra precaution."

Lena smiled at him. "How can I ever thank you, Colonel?"

Henshaw gave her a wink. "You will never have to." He moved to leave. As he did so, a final question came into Lena's mind.

"What is the name of this organisation that you lead, Colonel?"

"We are called," He replied, "The Department of Extra-normal Operations..."

\+ + +

Lena couldn't sleep. 

Looking at the clock, she found that it was just past midnight. The terror of the day before was causing her insomnia. What if the creature came back? What if the wards and charms that Colonel Henshaw had set up didn't work? What if Miss Lane was unable to fight the vampire?

What if it attacked Kara when she next visited?

Lena threw aside the bed clothes and looked at the silver dagger that he had given her. She did not believe that she had the fortitude to fight off such a creature with merely her hands, but she would damn well try. 

In the distance, she heard the wolves start to howl again,as they had every night since she had first met Kara. Miss Danvers had sent her a telegram of support but was unable to visit her due to pressing business. Lena missed her, even more so now that they had shared a brief, intimate moment. She longed for her scent,her touch...

Her eyes.

Drifting to the window, she pulled back the curtains. The moon was full and the wind howled, mixed with the plaintive cries of the lupine pack in the near distance. She drew some confidence in the fact that Miss Lane was patrolling the area immediately around the manor, to provide extra security...

Then she saw it.

She froze, heart in her throat.

In the moonlight, standing on a high bough on an oak tree, there was a figure in a billowing frock coat. Lena could just about make out that the creature was female...

It had returned!

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara confronts Lena

Kara's curiosity had gotten the better of her. 

Alexandra had informed her that it would and that this would be dangerous for both of them.

She could not understand why she was not relishing the fear of her newest target, Lena. She could smell her it, almost feel it with her gloved hands, but she was not savouring it as she normally would.

It bothered her. Something was preventing her from absorbing it. Even the danger of being here again and being caught held no appeal for her...

She crouched on the bough that she had chosen to watch Lena's room from, noting that there was another scent on the air tonight. An arrogant one. 

Another female.

The odour of death followed her. Kara cast her gaze around, looking for the source and - in the distance - saw a short woman in stetson and armed heavily. She recognised her as Miss Lane, the secretary to Colonel Henshaw.

A vampire hunter.

Licking her canines, she sneered in the woman's direction and gripped the hilt of the sabre at her side. With Lane in the vicinity, it would be difficult to attempt to infiltrate Luthor Manor. She had no need of an invitation to enter since she had been allowed inside by servants over the past few occasions. She could, she thought, come and go as she pleased...

Movement at the conservatory doors caught her attention, but it was not the hunter.

It was Lena...

Clad it a simple white nightgown that would provide inadequate protection on the cold wintry night, she ran across the lawn beyond in her direction. Hair blowing in the breeze, her emerald eyes gleamed in the near darkness.

She looked stunning...

Before Kara knew what she was doing, she leapt from the bough and landed gracefully at the foot of the tree.

\+ + +

Kara looked amazing in the moonlight. 

Her frock coat was made of burgundy velvet and had military styling and black buttons. She wore black leather pants with knee high boots, which were cuffed at the top. Her white blouse was made of the finest silk that Lena had ever seen and was ruffled around the collar. Her waist was tightly corseted with a black leather cincher which came to just below her impressive bust.

On her hip sat a dangerous looking sabre in a polished scabbard, which one gloved hand grasped the hilt of but did not draw.

If Lena hadn't been so frightened, she would have been aroused by the appearance. For all intents, she looked like the quintessential highway robber. 

Clutching the silver stiletto in one hand, she skidded to a halt in the dirt a few yards in front of her and proclaimed, "You are one of them, aren't you, Kara?" She spoke in such a tone that Miss Lane would not have been able to hear.

"'One of them'?" Kara said, in a measured tone that was far more confident even than that which she had used to seduce Lena at dinner the previous evening. "And what do you mean by that turn of phrase, Miss Luthor?" 

Her eyes glowed a deep red in the darkness.

Lena's heart pounded as she hissed, "A vampire! Like the one from last night that killed two of my staff."

"I am indeed, Miss Luthor. Your insight serves you well." Kara commented, planting her hands on her hips. She gestured at the dagger. "And what is this? You think you can harm me with a simple knife?"

Lena held the knife out at the ready. "This is no ordinary knife." She answered. "The blade is made of silver."

Kara sneered at that. "You have been talking to Colonel Henshaw." She gestured towards the manor. "I see he has engaged one of his hunters to protect you."

"Miss Lane is a very capable lady." Lena announced, although she was yet to see her in action. She waved the knife in Kara's direction, tears forming in her eyes at the betrayal of her friend. "Why are you here?"

"A question that I find myself asking at this very moment." Kara pointed out, a frown creasing her flawless brow. 

Her defences are down, Lena thought.

She stepped forward and made a slicing motion with the knife. But Kara, despite her distracted manner, was ready. She dodged the swipe and grabbed the outstretched limb. Lena yelped in pain at the strength of the grip. Kara twisted her wrist painfully, forcing the knife from her hand. 

The dagger fell useless to the ground.

Kara did not let go. With a gliding motion, Lena found herself pressed against the trunk of the nearest oak tree, her right wrist twisted at the small of her back. She wriggled and struggled, but Kara was too strong for her. Her only option was to call for assistance from Miss Lane. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to scream...

A gloved hand clamped her mouth shut, covering her nostrils so she could hardly breath.

Lena was helpless.

"Yes." Kara whispered into her ear. "I am a vampire. I am three hundred and twenty years old. I have taken many lovers, some of whom I have turned, most of whom I have cast aside as dead weight once I'd had my fill."

A pause. Lena struggled, to no avail. Where was Miss Lane?!?

"I have not decided what to do with you, as yet. You trouble me." There was now a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "I thrive on fear and terror, but yours do not satisfy me. Perhaps neither I nor my sister have done enough to terrorise you as yet." Her voice came close to her ear. "I intend to find out what I need to do to break you, then have my wicked way..."

Lena gulped and wriggled, but Kara was too strong. A second later she felt her wrist released and the gloved hand removed from her mouth...

She gasped!

Kara held her around the throat in some sort of hold, choking the air from her lungs. Lena swatted at the grip that held her, but found it hard to resist as consciousness started to elude her... Her last thoughts were of how innocent Kara had appeared on their first meeting...

And how wrong that opinion had been...

* * *

"Lena? Are you OK?"

Lena looked up from the magazine spread that Kara had placed in front of her for approval and frowned.

She had been daydreaming.

That was not a word that a Luthor recognised.

"I'm fine." She assured her newest friend. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

Lena came to on black silk sheets.

On the comfiest bed that she had ever lain on.

The room was dark and unfamiliar. The windows had heavy wooden shutters on them that blotted out any trace of light from outside and was lit by two candles. There was no other furniture in the room aside from the bed and the candelabra.

As Lena's vision adjusted to the near light, she spotted a form standing against one wall. The silhouette was definitely female.

"Kara?!?" She gasped, suddenly feeling the pain in her throat from where Kara had choked her. Lena found herself climbing up the bed in fear, finding the wall in a few seconds.

Trapped!

There was a long moment of silence before Kara spoke. She had discarded her coat and the sword, but still looked beautiful. Her eyes appeared to glow slightly red in the near light.

Oh God, help me. Lena thought.

"I... crave forgiveness for my behaviour on your land." She said, slowly, uncertainly. "I was..." She seemed to choke on the next word. Taking a deep breath, she continued.

"I was frightened."

"Then, you can well imagine how I presently feel!" Lena exclaimed, her fight seeming to return despite the ache in her neck. 

She froze.

Quickly running a hand down either side of her neck, she was relieved to note that she was without bite marks. "Fear not," Kara said, moving closer to the bed. "I have not fed on you, nor have I decided whether or not I will."

Lena harrumphed. "That's very generous of you. Now, where the devil am I?"

"Somewhere safe." Kara assured her. "The sun has risen so I cannot presently allow you to leave and reveal the location of this 'safe house'." 

"Am I allowed to leave?" Lena probed. 

Kara was so close now that she could almost touch her. There was a definite red glow in her eyes and as she opened her mouth to reply, Lena saw her elongated canine teeth once more. She ran her teeth across them hungrily before answering, "I had every intention of keeping you as my prisoner here, to find out why you have affected me in such a way... But I fear that I cannot do that." She said. "It would be unfair."

"Very... Unfair... Kara?" Lena paused, noticing for the first time that, "You're crying."

Kara scowled at that, ran a gloved hand across her cheek. "Crying is for the weak." She spat, the vampire in her re-emerging. She softened. "I do not know what is wrong with me."

Lena rose from the bed and stood before the vampire, whose emotions she seemed to be having trouble disguising. She took one of Kara's gloved hands in her own. Kara frowned at this, but allowed it. "You are so used to being the most powerful being in the room -maybe even the whole city - that you are unable to cope when something disrupts your equilibrium."

Kara nodded slightly at this. Lena could smell her now, but it was not her normal scent.

She could smell the blood on her breath...

It was strangely arousing...

"Could it be possible that you have..." Lena paused, uncertain if she should take this route, then continued, "That you have developed feelings for me?"

"How is that possible?" Kara demanded, but in a soft tone. "I have known you for only a matter of days?"

"It is said that love knows no boundaries." Lena informed her, squeezing her hand and bringing it to rest on her breast. She gasped slightly as Kara started to squeeze, unexpectedly, her grip strong.

"Love?" The vampire asked.

"Yes. Love." Lena stared into her blue-red eyes. "Is it possible for a creature of the night to love a human being?"

Kara nodded. "I believe it is, yes." She replied, leaning closer to Lena, staring at her lips.

Lena closed the distance and kissed Kara tenderly on the mouth. 

Kara withdrew, a look of panic in her eyes...

Then returned the kiss hungrily, passionately, her hand at the back of Lena's neck. Lena felt Kara's tongue exploring her mouth and didn't resist, enjoying the passion that suddenly washed over her...

She didn't want this moment to end.

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
